Cable clip

ABSTRACT

A cable clip includes a housing defining an open space and outer grooves about the housing for mounting the cable clip into a mounting opening, the inner edge of the housing including trumpet flares around the edges of the ends and side to provide bend radius protection for cables passing through the clip and a gate closing off the open sided space. The gate may be attached to the housing by a living hinge.

[0001] This application is a continuation in part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 09/811,368, filed Mar. 16, 2001, which is commonly owned andcurrently pending.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to fiber optic cable and othercable management for use in telecommunications systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Telecommunications equipment utilizing optical fiber for signaltransmission is often mounted within equipment racks that permit a highdensity of connections to be made in a small space. A high density ofconnections means that a large number of optical fiber cables will needto be routed to and from the equipment, also in a small space. While thehigh density of connections possible with optical fiber is one of theprincipal reasons for utilizing optical fiber in this sort ofenvironment, organizing the large number of optical fiber cablesconnected to the equipment can be difficult. This difficulty most oftenarises with respect to the cross-connect or jumper cables connected tothese telecommunications racks. Copper systems also experience similarcable management issues.

[0004] The outside plant or interfacility cables connected to suchequipment are cables which by their nature do not require frequentdisconnect or reconnect, and which are also bundled more densely, withmultiple fibers being held within a single cable. In contrast, thecables connected to the front of these equipment racks are single fibercables which may be disconnected or reconnected often in the course ofnormal use and configuration of the equipment. The higher number ofindividual cables and the need to be able to readily move connectionsrequire the provision of clear cable segregation, labeling andorganization proximate to the front connections of thesetelecommunications installations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] One aspect of the present invention relates to a cable clipincludes a housing defining an open space and outer grooves about thehousing for mounting the cable clip into a mounting opening, the inneredge of the housing including trumpet flares around the edges of theends and side to provide bend radius protection for cables passingthrough the clip, the clip including a movable gate closing off the opensided space. The gate may be attached to the housing by a living hinge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in andconstitute a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects ofthe invention and together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention. A brief description of the drawings is asfollows:

[0007]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a cable routing clipaccording to the present invention.

[0008]FIG. 2 is a front-end view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.

[0009]FIG. 3 is a rear end view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.

[0010]FIG. 4 is a first side view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.

[0011]FIG. 5 is a second side view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.

[0012]FIG. 6 is a top view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.

[0013]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cable routing clip of FIG.1, taken at line 7-7 in FIG. 6.

[0014]FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a bridge mounting for thecable routing clip of FIG. 1.

[0015]FIG. 9 is a top view of the bridge mounting of FIG. 8.

[0016]FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the wall structure for thebridge mounting of FIG. 8.

[0017]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a cable clip and cable segregatoraccording to the present invention.

[0018]FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG.11.

[0019]FIG. 13 is a top view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.

[0020]FIG. 14 is a side view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG.11.

[0021]FIG. 15 is a front view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG.11.

[0022]FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of an alternative embodimentof a cable clip and segregator with a gate shown in an open position.

[0023]FIG. 17 is a front view of the cable clip and segregator shown inFIG. 16 with the gate in a closed position.

[0024]FIG. 18 is a detail view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG.11, showing the area enclosed by circle 16 in FIG. 15.

[0025]FIG. 18A is a detail view of a cable slot of the cable clip andsegregator of FIG. 11.

[0026]FIG. 19 is a profile of two mounting cutouts in a riser wall formounting the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.

[0027]FIG. 20 is a front view of a cable riser according the presentinvention mounted to the side of a telecommunications equipment rack.

[0028]FIG. 21 is a top perspective view of the cable riser of FIG. 20with the 32 individual cable paths indicated.

[0029]FIG. 22 is a close-up perspective view of the top of the cableriser of FIG. 20.

[0030]FIG. 23 is a front view of the cable riser of FIG. 20 with thecable clips and segregators 100 numbered and the six groups of clips 100indicated.

[0031]FIG. 24 is a front view of alternative embodiment of a cable riseraccording to the present invention.

[0032]FIG. 25 is a front view of the cable riser of FIG. 20 showingcable loading according to the present invention.

[0033]FIG. 26 is a front perspective view of an alternative embodimentof a cable clip according to the present invention, showing the door inan open position.

[0034]FIG. 27 is a front perspective view of the cable clip of FIG. 26with the door in a closed position.

[0035]FIG. 28 is a rear view of the cable clip of FIG. 27.

[0036]FIG. 29 is a front view of the cable clip of FIG. 27.

[0037]FIG. 30 is a left side view of the cable clip of FIG. 27.

[0038]FIG. 31 is a right side view of the cable clip of FIG. 27.

[0039]FIG. 32 is a top view of the cable clip of FIG. 27.

[0040]FIG. 33 is a bottom view of the cable clip of FIG. 27.

[0041]FIG. 34 is a left side view of a wall including a cutout along theedge for mounting the cable clip of FIG. 26.

[0042]FIG. 35 is a front perspective view of an alternative embodimentof a cable routing clip according to the present invention.

[0043]FIG. 36 is a top view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 35.

[0044]FIG. 37 is a top view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 35 withthe gate closing the slot in an open position.

[0045]FIG. 38 is a closer top view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 36showing further detail of the closure mechanism for the gate.

[0046]FIG. 39 is a top view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 37 withthe clip arms compressed into the slot so that the mounting tabs arespread apart for insertion into mounting slots in a wall.

[0047]FIG. 40 is a front perspective view of the cable routing clip ofFIG. 35 mounted to a wall.

[0048]FIG. 41 is a front perspective exploded view of the cable routingclip of FIG. 40 mounted to a wall.

[0049]FIG. 42 is a top cross-sectional view of the cable routing clip ofFIG. 41 taken perpendicular to the wall at a midpoint of the cablerouting clip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of thepresent invention that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughoutthe drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[0051] Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 10, a cable routing clip 10 fororganizing cables is shown. Clip 10 is useful in a variety ofstructures, including a cable riser 200 discussed below, for managingtelecommunications cables. Clip 10 includes two clip arms 12 and 14,which have inner faces 16 and 18, respectively and outer faces 20 and22, respectively. A crosspiece 24 extends between the two clip arms 12and 14, and crosspiece 24 has a front side 26 and a rear side 28. Cliparms 12 and 14 have outer ends 30 and 32, respectively. Retaining tabs34 and 36 are mounted at outer ends 30 and 32 and extend across a slot38 which defined by crosspiece 24, and clip arms 12 and 14. Retainingtabs 34 and 36 have outer faces 40 and 42. Outer faces 20 and 22 ofclips arms 12 and 14, and outer faces 40 of retaining tab 34 are sizedand shaped to receive indicia of the cables held within slot 38. Outerface 42 of retaining tab 36 may also be shaped to receive such indicia.Retaining tabs 34 and 36 cooperate to extend fully across the width ofslot 38. As shown in FIG. 2, the retaining tabs actually overlap by anamount A. Retaining tabs 34 and 36 are less than the height of clip arms12 and 14 and are offset from each other to form a gap 44. Cables may beplaced within or removed from slot 38 by passing the cables through gap44. Clip 10 is made of a resilient, deformable material so that cablesthat might have a diameter or size greater than the width of gap 44 canstill be inserted into slot 38 through gap 44. The overlap A ofretaining tabs 34 and 36 is sufficient to permit some outwarddeformation of clip arms 12 and 14 and still have retaining tabs 34 and36 extending across slot 38. In FIG. 6, retaining tabs 34 and 36 areshown angled slightly in toward slot 38. Cable movement within slot 38may cause a cable to apply pressure to the inside of retaining tabs 34or 36. Biasing the tabs inward toward slot 38 will aid the tabs inresisting this pressure and maintain closure of slot 38 so that no cableare allowed to escape.

[0052] Extending longitudinally from rear side 28 of crosspiece 24 aremounting tabs 46 and 48, adapted for mounting clip 10 to a wall of atelecommunications equipment rack, a cable riser, or other suitablelocation. Mounting tabs 46 and 48 are generally parallel with clip arms12 and 14 and generally extend co-linearly with clip arms 12 and 14,respectively. Mounting tabs 46 and 48 are designed to fit into verticaltabs slots in sheet metal walls, such as shown in FIGS. 20 through 23,discussed below. Tabs 46 includes a ramped face 50 and a locking notch54, which is spaced apart from rear side 28 by a distance B. Tab 48,ramped face 52 and locking notch 56 are similarly configured. Distance Bis based upon the thickness of the wall into which clip 10 will beinserted. Thicker walls will require a larger distance B and thinnerwalls will permit a smaller distance B. When tabs 46 and 48 are insertedinto mounting slots in a wall, ramped faces 50 and 52 press against theinner side of the mounting slots to force tabs 46 and 48 to be deformedoutward. After the ramped faces have passed through the mounting slots,tabs 46 and 48, being made of resilient, deformable material return totheir original shape and locking notches 54 and 56 engage the oppositeside of the wall to hold clip 10 in place with face 28 against the wall.In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 7, mounting tab 48 has arecess 58, so that tab 48 does not extend to the same height as tab 46.In situations where the insertion orientation of clip 10 needs to befixed, the mounting slot for receiving tab 48 can be made shorter thanthe mounting slot for receiving tab 46, thus forcing clip 10 to mountedin the desired orientation.

[0053] Referring now to FIG. 7, a cross-section of clip arms 12 and 14is shown. Cables passing through slot 38 may be directed to one side orthe other after they pass through the slot. To prevent violation of bendradius rules for these cables, inner faces 16 and 18 of clip 10 arecurved.

[0054] Referring now to FIGS. 8 through 10, an alternative bridgemounting approach for clip 10 is shown. In certain installations, it maybe necessary or desirable to mount clips to the front of a wall withouthaving the mounting tabs protruding beyond the rear of the wall. A wallsegment 70 is shown, with a front face 60 to which a clip 10 will bemounted. A bridge 62 is formed in the wall 70, protruding from the frontface 60 and having mounting slots 64 and 66 on either side. Mountingtabs 46 and 48 are inserted into slots 64 and 66 as described above andlocking notches 54 and 56 engage the rear of bridge 62. Bridge 62extends far enough out from front 60 of wall 70 so that mounting tabs 46and 48 do not protrude beyond rear face 68 when clip 10 is mounted onwall 70. Mounting slots 64 and 66 shown in FIGS. 8 through 10 are notsized to force the insertion of clip 10 in a particular orientation.

[0055] Referring now to FIGS. 11 through 19, the details of a furthercable clip 100 with cable segregator 101 are shown. Clip 100 is usefulon a variety of structures, including riser 200, for managing cables, aswill be discussed below in greater detail. Clip 100 includes a side 102and two ends, 104 and 106. Side 102 and ends 104 and 106 combine to forman open sided housing 110 defining an area 108 within the housing. Intoarea 108 extend a series of fingers 112 from side 102, which define aseries of cable slots 114 between them. A slot 114 is also definedbetween a finger 112 and end 104 and a finger 112 and end 106. As shownin the FIGS. a total of seven fingers 112 cooperate with ends 104 and106 to form a total of eight cable slots 114. Each cable slot 114includes a pair of widened cable holding openings 116, giving clip 100 acapacity of sixteen cables. Cable slots 114 are sized so that a ribbonoptical fiber cable 120 can be inserted as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.Preferably, openings 116 are also sized and shaped to hold a round 3 mmoptical fiber cable 118. While slots 114 are smaller in width than thediameter of cable 118, clip 100 is made of a resilient, deformablematerial which, in cooperation with the cover of cable 118 will permitslots 114 to expand enough to permit the insertion of cable 118. Toprevent ribbon cable 120 from accidentally escaping from slot 114, lip122 on finger 112 provides an entrance to slot 114 which is slightlynarrower than the width of cable 120. To further prevent accidentalescape of cables from slots 114, a gate pivot 124 and a gate latch 126are provided, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. A gate 128 with a hinge 130that pivots about pivot 124 and a catch 132 which releasably latches tolatch 126 and which is made of a deformable, resilient material andwhich extends along the ends of fingers 112 to close off slots 114, willserve prevent accidental cable escape.

[0056]FIG. 18A shows slots 114 in more detail. Within slot 114 areregions of varying width. Beginning at the open end of slot 114,opposite side 102, a width 168 provides an entry for cables beinginserted into slot 114. Moving toward side 102, the width of slot 114then tapers to width 170, defined by the separation of opposing lips122. Continuing toward side 102, the width expands to a nominal width172. Slot 114 then includes opposing openings 116, defining an expandedwidth 174. Continuing again in the direction of side 102, the slotreturns to a nominal width 176 before expanding again with opposingopenings 116 defining an expanded width 178. Between the last set ofopposed openings 166 and side 102, slot 114 returns to a nominal width180

[0057] Also included as part of housing 110 may be trumpet flares 134,136 and 138 extending from end 104, end 106 and side 102, respectively.These trumpet flares serve as radius protection devices for cables 118and 120 extending through slots 114 if the cables are required to changedirection after they pass through slots 114.

[0058] Clip 100 is adapted for mounting on a wall of atelecommunications equipment rack or to the wall of a cable riserattached to such a rack. This sort of installation is also shown inFIGS. 20 through 23, described below. FIG. 19 shows the shape of acutout 134 in cable riser wall 136 in which a clip 100 could be mounted.A rear groove 138 in clip 100 is defined by pairs of rear tabs 140 forreceiving a rear edge 142 of cutout 134. A lower groove 144 is definedby a pair of walls 146 receives a lower edge 148 of cutout 134, and alower recess 152 with an end wall 164 is provided at the front end ofgroove 144 to receive a lower tab 150. An upper groove 154 is defined bya pair of walls 156 receives an upper edge 158 of cutout 134. From upperedge 158 extends an upper tab 160 which is received in an upper recess162 formed in the bottom of upper groove 154. To mount a clip 100 to awall 136 in a cutout 134, the following procedure is used: open gate130; holding clip 100 so that rear groove 138 is parallel to wall 136,angle end 106 of clip 100 into cutout 134 so that upper edge 158 andupper tab 160 engage upper groove 154 and upper recess 162; applypressure to ends 104 and 106 of clip 100 to slightly deform the endstoward each other; pivot lower end 104 into cutout 134 so that loweredge 148 and rear edge 142 are engaged by lower groove 144 and reargroove 138, respectively; with clip 100 still slightly deformed bypressure on ends 104 and 106, lower tab will move past end wall 164 andinto recess 152; and releasing the pressure on ends 104 and 106 to allowclip 100 to regain its default shape and have end wall 164 engage lowertab 150 to hold clip 100 within cutout 134.

[0059] Referring now to FIGS. 20 through 25, a cable riser 200 withcable routing clips 10 and cable clips 100 with segregators 101 isshown. Riser 200 is attached to a telecommunications equipment rack 202,in which may be mounted a wide variety of telecommunications equipmentwhich have a large number of ribbon cables 120 or 3 mm cables 118attached to them. Riser 200 as shown is designed to work with aequipment rack 202 containing a total of 32 cable connection modules,with each module including up to 16 optical fiber connections and havingup to 16 optical fiber cables exiting from each module into riser 200. Aclip 100 is provided along an inner wall 204 of riser 200 for eachmodule in rack 202. The trumpet flares of these clips 100 serve toprovide bend radius protection to the cables exiting rack 202 throughclips 100 into riser 200 as these cables transition from horizontalpassage within rack 202 to vertical passage within riser 200. Riser 200is composed of inner wall 204, a rear angle wall 206, a rear wall 208,an intermediate bulkhead 210 and an outer wall 212. In FIG. 21, mountingtabs 46 and 48 of clips 10 can be seen extending through bulkhead 210and outer wall 212. A series of holes 214 through rear wall 208 allowriser 200 to be mounted adjacent a rack 202 using screws or othersimilar fasteners. A series of holes 216 through flange 218 of bulkhead210 and also extending through rear wall 208 allow bulkhead 210 to bemounted within riser 200 using screws, bolts or similar fasteners. Asshown in FIG. 24, riser 201 is a mirror image of riser 200 for mountingon the opposite side of rack 202.

[0060] Clips 10 are mounted within riser 200 so as to provide a distinctcable path 220 to each set of up to 16 cables extending through each ofthe clips 100. A total of 32 cables paths 220, each capable of handlingup to 16 cables are defined, as shown in FIG. 22. Each cable path 220 isindicated by a circled number associated with the top most clip 10 inthat cable path. The numbers for each cable path correspond to numbersassigned to each clip 100, with the topmost clip 100 labeled 1 and thebottommost clip 100 labeled 32, as shown on FIG. 23. Sixteen cable paths220 are located within the inner channel 222, defined by inner wall 204,angled wall 206, rear wall 208, and bulkhead 210, providing cablerouting and organization to cables exiting from the topmost sixteenclips 100 mounted on inner wall 204. Sixteen additional cable paths 220are located within outer channel 224, defined by bulkhead 210, rear wall208 and outer wall 212, providing cable routing and organization forcables exiting the bottommost sixteen clips 100 mounted on inner wall204.

[0061] Clips 100 are in one of six groups, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 25.The groupings of clips 100 correspond to the location of the cablepathway for each clip 100 as defined by clips 10 mounted in riser 200.The first five clips 100, numbered 1 through 5, are in Group I andcables exiting from this group of clips feed into paths 220 numbered 1through 5, which are mounted on inner wall 204 and on angled wall 206.Group II includes the next 6 clips 100, numbered 6 through 11, and thecables from these clips feed into paths 220 numbered 6 through 11, whichare mounted on rear wall 208 within inner channel 222. Group IIIincludes the clips 100 numbered 12 through 16 and cables from theseclips feed into paths 220 numbered 12 through 16, which are mounted onbulkhead 210 within inner channel 222. Group IV includes clips 100numbered 17 through 21 and cables from the clips feed into paths 220numbered 17 through 21 mounted on bulkhead 210 within outer channel 224.Group V includes clips 100 numbered 22 through 27 and cables from theclips feed into paths 220 numbered 22 through 27 mounted on rear wall208 within outer channel 224. Group VI includes clips 100 numbered 28through 32 and cables from the clips feed into paths 220 numbered 28through 32 mounted on outer wall 212 within outer channel 224.

[0062] The pattern for loading cable would generally be counterclockwise for a riser 200 and clockwise for a riser 201. As shown in theFIGS. path 220 numbered 32 will hold the cables from clip 100 numbered32. Clip 100 numbered 32 is the lowest mounted clip 100 in riser 200 andpath 220 numbered 32 is the furthest clockwise-located path 220 in riser200. Clip 100 numbered 31 is the next lowest mounted clip 100 and thecable from this clip will be held within path 220 numbered 31, locatedcounterclockwise from path 220 numbered 32 within outer channel 224 ofriser 200. Moving to the next highest mounted clip 100, up to clip 100numbered 17, the cables from each successive numbered clip will be heldby the next counterclockwise located cable path within outer channel224. Moving up to clip 100 numbered 16, the cables from this clip willpass into most clockwise mounted path 220 numbered 16 within innerchannel 222. Moving up to clip 100 numbered 15, the cables from thisclip will be held by the next counterclockwise mounted path 220 numbered15. Moving to the next highest mounted clip 100, up to clip 100 numbered1, the cables from each successive numbered clip will be held by thenext counterclockwise located cable path within inner channel 222. Thesame cable loading pattern can be applied within riser 201, except thatthe cables from each successive higher mounted clip 100 feeding into aparticular channel will be held by the next successive clockwise mountedpath 220.

[0063] With the potential of 512 total cables passing through riser 200,some manner of coding the clips 10 which combine to make up the 32different paths 220 is desirable. The maximum number of paths 220 withineach group of clips 100 is six. Therefore, if six distinctly marked orcolored versions of clip 10 are provided, each path 220 within riser 200can be uniquely identified by a combination of color or marking,designation of inner or outer channel, and which wall within the channelthe clips are mounted on. For example, a series of black clips 10 alongouter wall 212 in the outer channel 224 would define path 220 forrouting the cables from clip 100 numbered 28. White clips 10 alongbulkhead 210 in inner channel 222 would define path 220 for routingcables from clip 100 numbered 15. Alternatively, indicia signifyingwhich path 220 a clip 10 belongs to could be placed on front face 40,first outer face 20 or second outer face 22, depending on how the clipis mounted within the riser, so that the indicia could be easily seen bya person in front of the riser.

[0064] If higher densities of cabling are required for a particulartelecommunications equipment rack, riser 200 could include more than oneintermediate bulkhead 210 and thereby provide a greater number ofchannels and thereby of cable paths 220. Alternatively, if the densityof cabling for an equipment rack is not as high, bulkhead 210 could beremoved from riser 200 and the number of paths 220 reduced. The codingscheme for clips 10 described above is adaptable to both higher andlower density alternatives of riser 200.

[0065] Referring now to FIGS. 26 through 33, an alternative embodimentcable clip 300 is shown, without a segregator extending from side 102into area 108. Clip 300 includes a gate 328 connected to housing 110 bya thinned area capable of being repeatedly flexed, forming a livinghinge 330. Gate 328 includes a curved inner surface 314 and a pair ofouter stiffening ribs 312, which cooperate to resist deflection of gate328. At an end of gate 328 opposite hinge 330 is a catch 332 whichincludes an outer wall 306 and an inner wall 310 which define an opening308. Opening 308 receives a latch 326 which is on end 106 of housing110. Latch 326 includes a ramped surface 302, a ledge 304 and a leadingedge 305. As gate 328 is swung closed across opening 108, pivoting abouthinge 330, leading edge 305 enters opening 308. As gate 328 is closedfurther, ramped surface 302 engages outer wall 306 of catch 332,deflecting catch 332 downward. Ramped surface 302 passes through opening108 followed by ledge 304. When ledge 304 has extended through opening108 beyond outer wall 306, latch 332 returns to its original positionand ledge 304 is captively held within opening 308 by outer wall 306,releasably holding gate 328 in a closed position.

[0066] While in the closed position, inner wall 310 of gate 328 isadjacent a surface 303 on end 106 beneath catch 326. In addition, outershoulders 316 and 318 located on the end of gate 328 opposite hinge 330on either side of catch 332, engage extensions 360 and 362,respectively, which project from end 106 away from side 102 on eitherside of latch 326. Inner wall 310 cooperates with surface 303, andextensions 360 and 362 cooperate with shoulders 316 and 318 to allowgate 328 to help resist deflection of end 106 into opening 108.

[0067]FIG. 34 shows a cutout 334 for mounting clip 300 to wall 136. Toposition clip 300 into cutout 334, the procedure described above withregard to positioning clip 100 within cutout 134 is followed. Removal ofclip 300 from cutout 334 involves a reversal of the procedure, whereinends 104 and 106 must be compressed toward each other into area 108 todisengage upper tab 160 from upper groove 154 and opening 162. When clip300 has been positioned within cutout 334 and gate 328 is moved to theclosed position, the cooperation of inner wall 310 with surface 303 andextensions 360 and 362 with shoulders 316 and 318 allows gate 328 toprovide additional resistance against deflection of ends 104 and 106. Inthis way, gate 328 can help prevent an accidental removal of clip 300from cutout 334. Further, the cooperation of catch 332 and latch 326will aid in preventing accidental opening of gate 328 that might becaused by accidental deflection of either ends 104 and 106 or of gate328. Outer ribs 312 also help gate 328 resist deflection, such as mightbe caused by a cable within area 108 pressing against inner surface 314.

[0068] Referring now to FIGS. 35 through 37, an alternative embodimentcable routing clip 400 with a movable gate 440 closing access throughthe front into slot 38. Gate 440 is hingedly attached to distal end 30of clip arm 12 by a living hinge 402. As shown in FIGS. 36 and 37, atdistal end 32 of clip arm 14 is a catch 406 which engages a latch 404 ongate 440 to hold gate 440 in the closed position.

[0069] Referring now to FIG. 38, further details of gate 440, latch 404and catch 406 are shown. Latch 404 includes an extension 408 with aramped surface 410 and a finger tab 412. Catch 406 includes a recess 414for receiving extension 408 which includes a ramped surface 416, anextension 422 at distal end 32 with a ramped surface 424. On gate 440adjacent latch 404 are a recess 418 for receiving extension 422, recess418 having a ramped surface 420.

[0070] The cooperation of latch 404 with catch 406, including theinteraction of ramped surfaces 410 and 416 in cooperation with theinteraction of ramped surfaces 420 and 424 help prevent gate 440 fromaccidentally opening due to pressure exerted on either clip arm 12 or14, or on gate 440. Pressure exerted on inner surface 18 of clip arm 14would tend to move extension 408 deeper into recess 414, preventing gate440 from being forced open accidentally. Pressure exerted on an innerface 442 of gate 440 would be prevented from forcing gate 440 open byinteraction of ramped surfaces 410 and 416. The angling of rampedsurfaces 410 and 416 as shown in FIG. 38 also allows gate 440 to bebiased to an open position, as shown in FIG. 37, and for such biasing tobe resisted by catch 406 and latch 404 when gate 440 is closed. Pressureexerted against inner face 16 of clip arm 12 would tend to pull distalend 30 and living hinge 402 away from clip arm 14, which would tend tomove extension 408 deeper into recess 414, preventing gate 440 fromaccidentally opening. So pressure exerted against any of the innersurfaces of cable routing clip 400 which might cause gate 440 toaccidentally open are resisted by catch 406 and latch 404. Such pressureon the inner surfaces of cable routing clip 400 might be caused by thepulling on cables which are held within slot 38.

[0071] Catch 406 and latch 404 also are configured to resist pressureexerted against outer surfaces 20 or 22 of clip arms 12 and 14, oragainst an outer surface 444 of gate 440 from accidentally opening gate440. Pressure exerted against outer surface 20 of clip 12 would pushdistal end 30 toward distal end 32 and tend to push extension 408 out ofrecess 414. However, prior to extension 408 being displaced far enoughto move out of recess 414, ramped surfaces 420 and 424 would engage oneanother and move distal end 32 and recess 414 in the same direction asextension 408. The angling of ramped surface 420 and 424 will also tendto push recess 418 away from extension 422 and draw ramped surfaces 410and 416 into contact with each other, which will also help prevent thedisengagement of catch 406 and latch 404.

[0072] Similarly, pressure exerted on outer surface 22 of clip arm 14will tend to displace distal end 32 toward distal end 30, which willalso bring ramped surfaces 420 and 424 into contact. The interaction oframped surfaces 420 and 424 will push recess 418 away from extension 422and draw ramped surfaces 410 and 416 into contact with each other, whichwill also help prevent the disengagement of catch 406 and latch 404.Pressure exerted on outer surface 444 of gate 440 would also tend tobring ramped surfaces 420 and 424 into contact, which will in turn tendto push distal end 32 away from slot 38 and more deeply engage extension408 within recess 414.

[0073] To release gate 440 from the closed position of FIG. 36, a userwould exert pressure against finger tab 412 in the direction of an arrow446. Since cable routing clip 400 is made of a resilient deformablematerial, sufficient pressure in the direction of arrow 446 will deflectextension 408 enough to remove extension 408 from recess 414 and allowgate 440 to be freely moved to the open position of FIG. 37. In movinggate 440 to the closed position shown, extension 408 of latch 404 firstengages extension 422 of clip arm 14 and must deflect outward beforeextension 408 engages recess 414. Once extension 408 reaches recess 414,latch 404 returns to the nondeflected position, and thereby positivelysnaps into recess 414.

[0074] As an alternative mounting method to that described above withregard to cable routing clip 10, cable routing clip 400 may be mountedto a wall 448, as shown in FIG. 40, with the following steps: placinggate 440 in an open position, as shown in FIG. 37; exerting pressure onouter surfaces 20 and 22 of clip arms 12 and 14, causing clip arms 12and 14 to be displaced into slot 38 toward each other, as shown in FIG.39; this in turn will force some bending of crosspiece 24 and displacetabs 46 and 48 away from each other; tabs 46 and 48 are inserted intotab slots 450 and 452, respectively, as shown in FIG. 41; and pressureis released from outer surfaces 20 and 22 of clip arms 12 and 14,allowing cable routing clip 400 to return to the configuration shown inFIG. 37. It is anticipated that either of the described methods can beused to mount either of the described embodiments of cable routing clip10 or 400 to a wall 448 including appropriate length tab slots 450 and452.

[0075] When mounting cable routing clip 10 or 400 to a wall, it isdesirable for the clip to fit securely to the wall without excessivemovement. However, as stated above, this requires that distance B beapproximately the same thinkness as the wall. Alternatively, formounting a clip 10 or 400 to a wall 448 with a thickness T which is lessthan distance B, as shown in FIG. 42, a feature such as a dimple 454 maybe formed in wall 448 between tab slots 450 and 452. Dimple 454 restsagainst outer surface 28 of crosspiece 24 and offsets outer surface 28away from wall 448. The amount of offset required, and thus the heightof dimple 454 is determined by the difference between distance B andthickness T. This will permit a cable routing clip 10 or 400 to have astandard distance B between outer surface 28 of crosspiece 24 andlocking notches 54 and 56, and still be adaptable to mounting on wallsof varying thickness, up to a maximum thickness of B.

[0076] With regard to the foregoing description, it is to be understoodthat changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of theconstruction materials employed and the shape, size and arrangement ofthe parts without the scope of the present invention. It is intendedthat the specification and depicted aspects be considered exemplaryonly, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated bythe broad meaning of the following claims.

What is claimed is as follows:
 1. A cable clip comprising: an outerhousing including a first end with an inner edge and an outer edge, asecond end with an inner edge and an outer edge, and a side with aninner edge and an outer edge, the inner edges of the first end, thesecond end and side defining an open sided space; the outer housingincluding a trumpet flare to provide bend radius protection fortelecommunications cables received in the open sided space; a gatehingedly mounted to the first end and movable to a closed positionacross the open sided space and releasably attached to the second endthe outer edges of the first end, the second end and the side includingfirst, second and rear grooves, respectively, for receiving a firstedge, a second edge and a rear edge, respectively, of a mountingopening, the first and second grooves having recesses for receiving atab formed in each of the first and second edges of the mountingopening.
 2. The cable clip of claim 1, wherein the gate is hingedlyattached at the first end by a living hinge, the gate including a catchwhich is adapted to receive and releasably engage a latch at the secondend, the gate covering the open sided space when in a closed positionwith the latch engaging the catch, and the gate being movable to an openposition upon disengaging the latch from the catch.
 3. The cable clip ofclaim 2, wherein the gate includes a curved inner surface and at leastone support rib on an opposite outer surface.
 4. The cable clip of claim2, wherein the gate includes a first shoulder adjacent the catch and thesecond end includes a first extension adjacent the latch, the firstextension engaging the first shoulder when the gate is in the closedposition.
 5. The cable clip of claim 4, wherein the gate includes asecond shoulder adjacent the catch opposite the first shoulder and thesecond end includes a second extension adjacent the latch opposite thefirst extension, the second extension engaging the second shoulder whenthe gate is in the closed position.
 6. The cable clip of claim 2,wherein the catch defines an opening with a top and a bottom and thelatch includes a leading edge, a ramped surface and a ledge, the rampedsurface configured to engage the top and deflect the latch toward thebottom as the leading edge is inserted through the catch opening, andthe top configured to engage the ledge when the gate is in the closedposition.
 7. The cable clip of claim 6, wherein the outer edge of thesecond end is adjacent the bottom of the catch when the gate is in theclosed position.